** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** CELLULAR AGRICULTURE, INCLUDING CELLULAR-BASED MEATS, IS PROPOSED TO BE A SIGNIFICANT PART OF THE FOOD SECURITY SOLUTION FOR A POPULATION EXPECTED TO EXCEED NINE BILLION BY 2050, WHILE ALSO MINIMIZING ENVIRONMENT IMPACTS CURRENTLY IMPOSED BY TRADITIONAL AGRICULTURE (E.G., BEEF PRODUCTION).THESE PRODUCTS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO MEET THE PROTEIN-RICH AND NUTRIENT-DENSE CALORIC DEMANDS OF UNDERDEVELOPED ECONOMIES AND A GROWING POPULATION.CELLULAR-BASED MEATS ARE IN VITRO CULTURED AND DIFFERENTIATED CELLS, INITIALLY SOURCED FROM ANIMALS; ANIMALS ARE NOT SLAUGHTERED IN THE PROCESS.PROCESS AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT ARE ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY DRIVEN BY THE PRIVATE SECTOR, WHICH HAS REPEATEDLY DECLARED THAT CELLULAR-BASED MEATS ARE SAFER THAN CONVENTIONAL MEAT DUE TO MINIMIZED CROSS-CONTAMINATION RISK OF FOODBORNE PATHOGENS (E.G., SALMONELLA, LISTERIA, AND ESCHERICHIA COLI) FROM THE ANIMAL (E.G., HIDE, VISCERA). WHILE CELL-BASED MEATS ARE NOT AT RISK OF CONTAMINATION AT SLAUGHTER, THERE IS SUBSTANTIAL POTENTIAL FOR CONTAMINATION DURING HANDLING, PREPARATION, AND TRANSFERRING OF CELLS, CROSS-CONTAMINATION FROM CONTAMINATED EQUIPMENT, AND OUTGROWTH OF CELLS IN SCAFFOLD. BEYOND MICROBIAL CONTAMINATION, NUMEROUS GROWTH FACTORS AND ANTIBIOTICS ARE REQUIRED, WHICH MAY RESULT IN CHEMICAL HAZARDS. THERE IS VERY LIMITED PEER-REVIEWED AND PUBLICLY AVAILABLE PROCESS, INGREDIENT, AND FINAL PRODUCT SAFETY DATA AND THERE IS NO PRECEDENCE OR FORMAL GUIDANCE FOR DETERMINING THE SAFETY OF CELLULAR-BASED MEATS; THUS, THERE ARE UNKNOWN AND UNDEFINED RISKS TO PUBLIC HEALTH. THIS UNDERSCORES THAT AGENCIES RESPONSIBLE FOR SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE-BASED FOOD SAFETY REGULATION (I.E., USDA FOOD SAFETY INSPECTION SERVICE AND THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION) ARE NOT CURRENTLY FULLY EQUIPPED TO ENSURE PUBLIC HEALTH.AS THERE ARE LIMITED DATA-DEFINED FOOD SAFETY HAZARDS AND RISKS OF CELLULAR-BASED MEAT, LAND-GRANT RESEARCHERS HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY AND ARGUABLY AN OBLIGATION TO INVESTIGATE SAFETY PARAMETERS FOR THIS IMPORTANT EMERGING FOOD SYSTEM. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT CELLULAR-BASED MEATS HAVE UNIQUE AND OVERLAPPING SAFETY RISKS COMPARED TO CONVENTIONAL MEATS, WHICH MAY RENDER THESE PRODUCTS NO MORE OR LESS SAFE THAN CURRENT FOOD SYSTEMS. HAZARD AND RISK MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS SUCH AS HAZARD ANALYSIS AND CRITICAL CONTROL POINT (HACCP) HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED FOOD SAFETY HAZARDS (E.G., PATHOGEN PREVALENCE).IN ORDER TO LEVERAGE THESE VETTED FOOD SAFETY CONTROL STRATEGIES, CELLULAR-BASED MEAT HAZARDS AND RISKS MUST BE MORE CLEARLY DEFINED.TO THAT END, WE PROPOSE THESE RESEARCH AND EXTENSION-FOCUSED OBJECTIVES:CONDUCT A FOOD SAFETY ROADMAPPING EXERCISE WITH INDUSTRY AND GOVERNMENT FOOD SAFETY EXPERTS TO IDENTIFY AND PRIORITIZE HAZARDS AND DATA GAPS USING A RISK-BASED APPROACH.PERFORM FOODBORNE PATHOGEN SURVIVAL AND GROWTH ASSAYS IN MEDIUMS AND SUBSTRATES FOR CELLULAR AGRICULTURE PRODUCTS TO INFORM PREVENTION AND CONTROL STRATEGIES.SYNTHESIZE AND COMMUNICATE RESULTS FROM PUBLIC-PRIVATE SECTOR ROAD MAPPING,AND SURVIVAL AND GROWTH DATA AS PUBLICLY AVAILABLE GUIDANCE FOR CELLULAR-BASED MEAT FOOD SAFETY STRATEGIES AND POLICY.THIS WILL PROVIDE SOME OF THE FIRST PUBLICLY-AVAILABLE DATA ON WHAT POTENTIAL FOOD SAFETY MICROBIAL HAZARDS MAY BE AND PROVIDE INSIGHT INTO HOW TO MONITOR FOR THESE POTENTIAL PATHOGENS.